Gold's Gift
by Snapegirlkmf
Summary: Gold doesn't like cats. At all. Can one playful kitten win the heart of Storybrooke's pawnbroker, or is it an impossible task? Rumbelle pairing. Some Baelfire and Archie too. AU.
1. Cat-tastrophe

**Gold's Gift**

**Dedicated to my sister and her 5 cats and anyone who has been "owned" by a cat**

**A/N: Takes place after chapter 38 of the Gold Standard.**

**1**

**Cat-tastrophe**

Mr. Gold would have told anyone who asked his opinion about pets that they were fine . . . in other people's houses. The one exception to that rule was the pedigreed black Bombay kitten Henry had given his daughter Alina for her eleventh birthday. Since the kitten was a gift, Alina had thought the name Nala—gift in Swahili—appropriate for her. She had assured her father that she would happily take care of the kitten, and Gold was content, or as content as he could be with a whirlwind of black fur now ensconced in his salmon-pink Victorian.

To say he and his new fur-child did not see eye to eye was putting it mildly.

The second morning Nala had come to stay, he had walked into the master bathroom and begun to shave and wash his face, only to discover the kitten had somehow managed to get inside there and totally shred an entire roll of toilet paper . . . all over the floor.

Gold gawped at the mess . . . paper shredded into confetti was scattered all over the bathmat and the tile, as if the cat had first torn it to shreds and then dragged it all over. It looked like a snowstorm had spawned there. He was so shocked he forgot to put down his razor, which was dripping with lather, and some of it fell on his good silk shirt. Snarling imprecations which involved a cat stew, Gold tore off his shirt and tossed it into the hamper.

As he stalked back into the bedroom to get a new shirt, he heard his wife call sleepily from her nest of covers, "Rumple? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing that a quick trip to the vet's or pair of pliers can't fix, Belle," he answered tightly, yanking another shirt out of his closet and putting it on.

"What?" Belle sat up, her dark hair falling over one blue eye. "What was that about a pair of pliers?"

"Nothing, dearie. Go back to sleep. I'll see you around six, as usual." He blew her a kiss before returning to the bathroom to shave, but not before glaring at the kitten crouched under the wingback chair in the corner near the window. "Darn cat! You stay out of my bathroom, or else!" He shook a reproving finger at her. "And don't give me that innocent look! You're about as innocent as a wolf in sheep's clothing. Now you've made me late for work."

It took about seven minutes for him to gather up all the paper and stuff it into a trash bag.

When he came out, he found Nala happily pouncing on his Gucci loafers, biting the soft leather with her sharp teeth.

"Get!" he growled, poking her with his cane.

Only to have her grab his cane with all four feet and try and bite it!

"Hey! Stop that, you crazy kitty!" he scolded, shaking the cane to try and dislodge his fuzzy passenger, and trying to balance on one foot at the same time.

"Rumple? What's going on?" Belle asked sleepily, sitting up and peering at her husband, who appeared to be hopping up and down. "What are you _doing_?"

He flashed her a frustrated look. "I'm . . . trying . . . let _go_ . . . to get this . . . _creature_ . . . off my cane!"

Belle started giggling as she saw what the kitten was doing. "Aww, Rumple! She's just playing with you! How sweet!"

"Playing?" he grumbled, glaring at the kitten who was happily gnawing the fine wood cane like some demented woodchuck. "I'll show you playing. Knock it off, before I make you go play in the street, cat."

Nala cocked her head at him, her green eyes gleaming, then abruptly sprang to her feet and dashed under the bed.

Gold shook the cane at her before he put on his shoes and limped from the room, pausing to shut the door behind him, trapping the little menace inside . . . but he hadn't reckoned with a cat's lightning swift reflexes, and didn't see Nala dart out the door just before he shut it.

As he was coming down the stairs, slowly in deference to his lame leg, a black bolt shot inbetween his feet and almost made him trip.

He staggered and had to grab the banister in a most undignified fashion to regain his balance.

_That's it! That little menace just tried to kill me. I'm shipping the blasted furball back to Henry . . . as soon as I find a box big enough,_ he thought angrily. _I knew having a pet was a mistake. They're nothing but trouble!_

Undaunted, Nala galloped down the hall into the kitchen, and Gold frowned as he reached the bottom of the stairs. Weren't cats supposed to be silent when they ran? This one must be defective, he thought sourly, because it sounded like a herd of gazelles stampeding.

The little kitten hid beneath a chair as Alice came and set a cup of coffee down by Gold's place and said cheerily, "Good morning, Mr. G!"

Gold looked up at his longtime housekeeper and friend and grunted, "Well, it was good . . . until Alina's crazy kitten decided to wreck my bathroom." He limped over to his chair and sat down.

"Oh, dear. What happened?"

Gold told her inbetween sips of coffee. Then he unfolded the paper and began to read it.

Alice began preparing an omelet for him and set out a bowl of honeydew, pineapples, and strawberries in case he was hungry, along with a small plate and a fork.

A fly buzzed around the fruit bowl. Gold waved it away with a hand and continued reading the financial section of the Mirror.

Beneath the table, Nala's ears swiveled around as her supersensitive hearing honed in on the fly buzzing overhead. Her tail began to twitch as she silently crept out from under the table and crouched, waiting for her chance to capture the annoying insect.

The fly suddenly landed on top of Gold's paper, unnoticed by the pawnbroker.

Until something black smashed into the center of the paper.

Nala's paws snatched the fly from the air . . . and sent the corner of _The Daily Mirror_ right into Gold's cup of coffee.

Hot coffee splashed all over the table, and on Gold's hand.

"Oww!" he gasped, shaking his hand. "What in hell?"

Nala sprang right over the rest of the paper, knocking into the bowl of fruit on the other side and sending it careening across the table.

"Mr. G, what on earth?" gasped Alice, as she looked up from putting the omelet onto a plate along with some potatoes and seeing the fruit bowl skidding across the polished oak table, along with the leaping kitten, whose clumsy attempt to grab the fly had merely stunned it, and now it was flying in loops above the table.

Luckily the fruit bowl halted before sliding off the edge, just as Nala made a second try at the buzzing fly . . . only to fall off the table and land on the floor in a furry heap.

"Serves you right!" Gold grumbled, watching sourly as the energetic kitten shook herself and raced away into the den.

Alice sighed and placed her employer's breakfast on the table after mopping up the spilled coffee. "Sorry about your paper. But it's only that piece that's ruined."

"The piece I was reading," he snorted, and set it down so he could eat.

"Sometimes kittens can be clumsy," Alice said.

"That one's not clumsy, Alice. That one's a catastrophe!" he said, rolling his eyes. "It's a good thing my coffee didn't get on my six-hundred dollar Armani suit, or else that cat would be a gift to an exotic restaurant." He stabbed his omelet with his fork, almost wishing he had his powers as the Dark One back. There had been a potion recipe that called for catgut . . . or he thought there had been.

"Alina would never forgive you, sir," Alice said.

"Humph! I'd buy her a replacement . . . a stuffed one," Gold said shortly, while Alice refilled his coffee cup.

Thank goodness he was going to work, where no ebony whirlwinds were allowed to wreak havoc in his shop.

**Page~*~*~*~*~Break**

Some days weren't worth getting up in the morning for, Gold thought after he'd come home from a rather trying day at his shop, where mishaps had occurred all day, starting with three rowdy kids chasing a lizard through his shop and knocking over several things while their mother had shouted uselessly at her little brats to stop before they broke something (too late because a crystal vase and a Chinese Ming pottery bowl had shattered). She had offered to pay for the items, practically begging his pardon, and Gold, who couldn't abide sniveling, especially in front of children, said he'd add the price gradually to her rent and waved her away.

As he'd swept up the mess, the green salamander scurried away under a cabinet, so now he had vermin hiding in his shop. Then old Mrs. Armbruster had come in and tried to get him to pay top dollar for an old necklace she insisted was real diamonds dug up from the Black Hills, where the Indians had hid them and her ancestor had found them long ago, before the massacre at the Little Big Horn.

Besides the fact that her ancestors didn't even come from this world, much less traveled outside of Storybrooke, and they'd found gold in the Black Hills, not diamonds, Gold could tell immediately that the necklace was nothing more than cleverly cut glass, good costume jewelry, but nothing else. When he'd told the widow so, she'd become highly indignant, accused him of trying to cheat her out of her "inheritance" and vowed to have him arrested for fraudulent practices! By the time she'd waddled, huffing and puffing, out the door, he'd had a headache.

And that was only the beginning. One of his rent checks had bounced, Granny's had run out of hamburgers, and a grungy customer had left greasy handprints all over his glass case and left without buying anything.

Now all he wanted to do was relax before dinner, maybe have some tea, and spend some time with Belle, but when he went to find her in the den, she was asleep, with a book over her face, and Nala, the obnoxious imp, was sitting in her lap like a Sphinx.

Gold bent to take the book off his wife's face and waved a hand at Nala. "Scat, cat! Go chase mice."

He set the novel on the small table beside Belle and went to sit down on the Chippendale and put his leg up, for now it was throbbing rather uncomfortably.

His eyes had begun to close when he felt something attack his foot.

"What in—hey!" he yelped as needle-sharp teeth nipped his ankle. He jerked his foot and a tiny body landed on his chest.

Opening his eyes, he found himself nose to nose with an emerald-eyed bewhiskered countenance. Nala mewed, and he scowled.

"You've got some nerve, you insolent dust ball. Go play in the street, with the other alley cats," he ordered exasperatedly.

To his everlasting shock, the annoying animal proceeded to turn about three times and curl up on top of him, lying on his chest and purring like muted thunder!

"You're pushing it," he told the little fuzzball. "The only reason I'm not making a trip to the animal shelter right now is because you're Alina's pet. But . . . I could always change my mind."

Nala gazed at him insolently . . . then yawned and began to groom herself . . . getting a blizzard of black hair all over his suit.

Gold vowed to make a sizable donation to the Storybrooke animal shelter this holiday season and include in it a box containing a certain black cat—free to a good home.

He glowered at the kitten purring contentedly atop his chest. "Who do you think you are—Bast herself?" he muttered. "I don't like you, even if your fur is softer than velvet. You shed like a sick sheepdog with mange and your purring could wake the dead."

He closed his eyes, doing his best to ignore the conceited feline perched on him. The blasted cat had a purr like a rusty motor and he wondered why people found such a thing soothing. He surely didn't . . . not in a million years . . .until his eyes shut and he fell asleep.

Nala kneaded her spot a few times to get comfortable, then she too dozed, paws tucked under her slender body.

When Alice came into the den to call them for supper, she saw Nala sleeping atop the reclusive pawnbroker and snapped a picture with her cell. "Doesn't like cats, my left foot!"

Nala opened one eye and winked lazily. Then she went back to sleep, thinking that her human made a comfortable pillow.

**A/N: So, who thinks Gold will eventually warm up to Nala? Or will she end up as anonymous donation to the Storybrooke animal shelter? More to come soon, and Archie will be in the next chapter!**


	2. A Pawful of Trouble

**2**

**A Pawful of Trouble**

Because it was Saturday this morning, Gold decided to do a rare thing-sleep until eight in the morning. He was dreaming happily of walking down the beach with Belle, somewhere it was warm and sundrenched, where he could admire his wife's shapely figure in private, and he moved his foot, cuddling closer to Belle and burying his face in her pillow.

_Mmm . . . the sun, the sand, Belle's coconut shampoo . . ._ he nestled closer, luxuriating in the fact that he didn't need to get up at six thirty . . .when needle-sharp teeth sank into his foot through the covers.

"Ahhh!" he yelped sharply, the lovely dream yanked away as a sudden stabbing pain shot up his leg.

"Rumple! What's wrong?" Belle cried. "Did you have a bad dream? Or is your leg going into spasms?" she raised her head to stare at her husband, her blue eyes still muzzy from sleep.

"Belle, something _bit_ me!" he gasped, yanking his foot back.

An instant later, the something pounced again and tried to gnaw on his other toe.

"Oww!" Gold shoved off half the covers and sat up, ready to beat whatever vermin had invaded his bedroom with his cane . . . only to see a black feline crouched amid the gold silk sheets, green eyes glowing with sadistic mischief as she planned to attack his feet again.

"Aww, look, Rumple!" Belle cooed. "She's playing!"

Her husband scowled. "Playing? That monster almost ate my foot!" He went to rub it through the sheets and the kitten sprang on his hand and attacked it. "Get off, you furry nuisance! Before I start looking for some pliers."

"Rumple! She's just a baby," Belle reproved. She made smooching noises and rustled the covers with her hand, and Nala turned and jumped at this new object, wiggling her tail and grabbing Belle's hand with all four paws. Laughing, Belle scratched the kitten's tummy, and Nala batted her hair with her paw. "You're such a sweet kitty!"

"Sweet kitty, my ass!" Gold growled. "I think she's a piranha with fur."

"Oh, don't be such a grouch," Belle said, and continued to play with the kitten.

"I was having a perfectly wonderful dream, dearie, until that featherduster with jaws interrupted it," Gold said, pointing an accusing finger at the kitten stretched out across Belle's knees. Now that was spoiled, he decided he might as well get up and get dressed.

"Are you going into the shop this morning?" Belle asked curiously, then winced as Nala yanked on her hair. She gently disentangled the kitten's claws and let the excited animal chew the ribbon on her nightie instead.

"Maybe later. I need to do some work on my computer with the accounts this morning," he replied.

"That's right. It's the end of the month," Belle recalled. The end of the month was when the rent was due for most of the citizens of Storybrooke.

"Yes, and now I'm going to have some breakfast. Like toast and fruit, since Alice is off today," he said, putting his shoes on and grabbing his cane.

"Right, it's her anniversary. I hope she has a good time with Jeff at the cabin," Belle remarked, since the couple were using Gold's cabin for a romantic getaway for the day.

"I'm sure she will. I made sure it was stocked with wine, chocolate, and strawberries," Gold smirked, and winked at his wife, recalling their own evening of romantic passion a few weeks ago. **

He reached for his smoky blue tie at the end of the bed, only to find a black paw atop it, as Nala stared up into his face, her black nose twitching. Gold snatched the tie up. "Put holes in my Ferragamo, and you're going to be the new therapy cat in the pediatric wing at the hospital . . . where grimy little fingers paw and yank your fur out, poke you in the eye, spit all over you, and hug you to death. Got me?"

Nala meowed.

"Rumple, you're terrible," Belle scolded. "She just wants you to pet her."

"I have a better idea. _You_ pet her. _I'm_ going to eat. And check on Rhea," he said, and limped out the door. His sister was still on bed rest, since the price of breaking the dagger curse had not been paid fully and she was as weak as if she'd had a bout of mono.

**Page~*~*~*~*~Break**

After two hours of entering all the rent checks and cash deposits for the month, as well as printing and sending notices for those who had missed their deadlines, Gold decided to take a break and get a snack before he went crosseyed from staring at the computer screen.

As he limped into the kitchen to grab a handful of Alice's shortbreads from the cookie jar, he heard the familiar strains of the _I Love Lucy_ theme coming from the den and poked his head in to see Alina and Belle watching TV and sharing a bowl of popcorn.

Once he'd finished backing up his Quicken session, he'd join them, he thought. He glanced about, looking for his furry nemesis, but couldn't see Nala anywhere. _Hmm. Maybe I got lucky and she jumped out the window_, he thought uncharitably as he turned and went back upstairs.

As he entered his study, he almost slipped on a pen that was rolling across the floor.

Frowning he bent and picked it up. Now how'd that get here? Then he saw more pens, and his leather pen holder, on the floor by his desk. "That blasted cat! I'm going to—" he began, then went mute in horror as he came around his desk and saw the furry menace sitting on top of his keyboard, washing a paw, while his computer monitor flashed a message—**last session terminated unexpectedly, re-enter data. **_No! Oh, no!_

"Dammit to hell!" he exploded. "You just _deleted_ my rent for the month, you wretched beast! Now I'm calling a taxidermist!"

Nala looked up and saw the frothing, wild-eyed maniac bearing down on her, and fled for her life, just as a pen hit the keyboard where she'd been moments before.

His temper sizzling because now he had to re-do all the work it had taken him hours to input, Gold sat down at his desk again, and felt something crunch as he did so. Too late he remembered his shortbreads, which he had stuck in his pocket. _I wonder if Fed Ex accepts live animals? Because I'm regifting that menace to Henry this afternoon. As soon as I find a box, he's getting an early birthday present,_ the pawnbroker thought balefully, and set about retrieving his program.

Things had been so much simpler when he had magic and could banish anything that annoyed him into thin air.

**Page~*~*~*~*~*~Break**

Monday morning found Gold rearranging some lucky Chinese cats on a shelf and thinking how lucky he'd be if Nala were turned into one, when the bell above the door rang and Archie Hopper, resident psychiatrist, entered the shop.

"Dr. Hopper. What can I do for you?" the pawnbroker asked politely, turning around.

"Hello, Mr. Gold. I have a book for you to read. Belle mentioned at her session this morning that you were . . . uh . . . having some problems with a kitten you recently got . . . so I thought you'd like to read this. It's a book on cat behavior." He handed Mr. Gold a slender volume with an orange cat on the cover.

"_The Cat Whisperer—getting to the heart of cat behavior problems,"_ Gold read the title aloud. "I don't need a book on behavior, Archie, I need a book on exorcism. The blasted animal's possessed."

Archie chuckled. "I doubt that, Mr. Gold. But I know the first few weeks you have a new pet can be trying. Pongo ate my moosehide slippers and ripped apart my pillow the first week I brought him home. I was sneezing feathers for months."

"That idiot cat _deleted_ my computer file. The only reason it's not in a cardboard box on the street is because Alina begged me to give it another chance . . ."

"And it's really hard to say no when she gives you those puppydog eyes, isn't it?" Archie said knowingly.

Gold snorted. "And Belle promised to trim its nails before I got home," he added, refusing to admit that he couldn't bear to make his daughter unhappy. _You're going soft, old dragon._

"You know, maybe once you get to know the kitten, you'll . . . umm . . . get along better with her. Cats are good for your blood pressure," Archie told him.

"That a fact? Because this one's probably made mine go through the roof."

"It's said a cat's purr relaxes the blood vessels and makes them wider, there's a fascinating study they did in New York about it—" Archie began.

"Yes, and I'm sure afterwards they gave the subjects to the Museum of Natural History for the Egyptian exhibit," Gold remarked snidely. "Thank you, Archie."

"You're welcome, Mr. Gold. I hope it helps," said the psychiatrist sincerely.

"It'd better. Or else the animal shelter is going to have a new addition for their Adopt-A-Pet day," the pawnbroker said, and tucked the book in his pocket to read on his lunch break.

**Page~*~*~*~*~Break**

The book offered a few solutions to his furry problem that didn't involve euthanasia, explaining how to redirect a cat's natural curiosity and interest, and also recommended buying a program to cat-proof your computer called Paw Sense. Gold ordered it online on his phone and had it rush shipped to him that very afternoon. He also called the Storybrooke petshop and had them deliver a package with every cat toy they owned plus a scratching post and some Temptations cat treats to his house.

_That ought to keep the little devil busy, and out of my hair,_ he thought, looking forward to finally having some domestic tranquility when he got home.

A woman came in and was examining some woven baskets with merino wool blankets in them when all of a sudden she started screeching as a green salamander ran over her foot.

_Hells, I forgot that slimy thing was still running loose in here!_ Gold thought as he came forward to soothe his hysterical customer. "Miss, it's just a salamander, I'm so sorry. Please, calm down before you hyperventilate . . ." _Blast it, there goes another sale unless I can find the pest and get rid of it._

**Page~*~*~*~*~Break**

Nala chased a wind-up toy mouse across the rug as Gold finished reading the book Archie had given him that night. The former sorcerer eyed the racing kitten thoughtfully, recalling what he'd just read about redirecting a cat's instincts and then he got a perfect idea.

Cats were predators, born to stalk and hunt.

And there was a certain green intruder that he needed to get rid of and the solution was running about right in front of him.

_Okay, cat. Tomorrow you're going to earn all those cat treats I just bought you, and actually serve a purpose other than driving me to drink. Tomorrow you're going to become my shop cat and we'll see if you can redeem yourself. Belle's always saying everything deserves a second chance. So here's yours. Otherwise there's a cage with your name on it waiting for you at Storybrooke Animal Center._

**A/N: Who hopes Nala will prove herself? And meet Pongo?**

**** Gold's remark is referring to the events in my short story Sparkle, in case you haven't read it.**

**Just so you know, there really is a computer program called Paw Sense, which blocks any random cat typed transmissions and saves you from getting your files deleted by cats playing on your keyboard. If you've ever had a cat walk all over your computer repeatedly, getting it is a must! **


	3. Purrfect Predator

_**3**_

_**Purrfect Predator**_

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Rumple?" Belle asked him the next morning when he told her his plan. "I mean, your shop has a lot of breakable things in it."

"Yes, I know," he replied, carefully knotting his tie. "But the cat can catch the salamander quicker than I can."

"She could also break things. Maybe you should . . . I don't know . . . put mattresses on the floor or something," Belle suggested, brushing her hair as she sat on the bed.

"I was going to remove the breakables and pack them in crates until she found the lizard," Gold said.

"How long will that take you?" Belle asked.

"Not long with Bae and Archie helping me," Gold answered. "After that I can let her hunt."

"Are you sure she can do it, Rumple? She's just a kitten."

"Belle, she's a cat. And all cats can hunt. This is her chance to show me she's good for something besides being a nuisance that deletes computer files," Rumple said quietly.

"Just remember, Rumple, she's not a full grown cat yet, so it might take her longer than you'd think to find the salamander and catch it," Belle said.

"She's going to have almost a whole day. And if that isn't enough, tomorrow also," Gold replied. "Now . . . where is the little whirlwind of destruction?"

"Last I checked, she was sleeping on Rhea's feet," Belle said. "Let me go get her."

Soon Belle returned cradling Nala in her arms. The kitten purred drowsily as Rumple opened the soft cat carrier he'd bought and Belle put the kitten inside. Then he zipped up the door flap and said, "Okay. We're ready to go."

"I'll help you carry her downstairs," Belle said, taking the carrier from him. "Now don't forget to reward her with some treats once she catches the salamander, Rumple. And don't forget to feed her too, she needs to eat three times a day. Alina fed her this morning, and I've packed a bag with some treats, dry food, a dish, some toys, and some cat milk in the blue bag downstairs."

"All that for a cat? It's almost like we have a baby," Gold sniffed.

"She _is_ a baby, Rumple. Just one with fur," Belle told him firmly. "Now be nice to her."

"Please. It's not like I use her as a punching bag," Gold snorted.

"No, but you ignore her. Pet her every now and then. You won't die if you do."

"I don't like cats, Belle. Especially not ones that delete my rent," her husband grimaced.

"Rumplestiltskin! That was an accident! Did you punish Alina when she was two that time she turned off your computer when you were doing a web search?"

"No, of course not! She didn't know any better. But this is different."

"No, it's not. Nala didn't know what she was doing either when she sat on your keyboard," Belle argued. "Now I want you to promise you'll be nice to her."

"Belle, if the little menace catches that salamander, I'll buy her salmon for dinner and she'll be the most spoiled cat in Storybrooke," Gold pledged, as he walked downstairs.

Once they got to the bottom of the stairs, Belle said, "Hey, did you eat anything?"

"Bae's bringing bagels with cream cheese and butter and coffee. I'll eat at the shop. Let's put her in the car." He picked up the blue bag with all the cat stuff and carried it while Belle carried Nala.

Belle placed the carrier on the front seat of the Cadillac while Gold got in the driver's side and put the cat bag on the floor behind his seat. "Have a good day at work, Rumple. And good luck."

"See you later, dearie," Gold waved.

Nala meowed the entire time he was driving to the shop, until he longed to shove her and the carrier out the window into the woods. By the time he reached his shop, his ears were ringing and he wished he'd brought earplugs. How the hell did one tiny kitten make so much noise? Maybe she was related to a banshee.

He unlocked the door to the pawnshop and then brought the cat bag inside and set up the disposable litter tray in the back room and then brought the cat carrier inside.

Then he called Bae on his cell and told him he had arrived, and Bae said he would stop and get bagels on his way there, and then Gold called Archie as well. After that he went and took most of the breakables down from the shelves nearest the back room and carefully boxed them.

Bae and Archie came soon after that. They all ate some bagels and drank coffee and together they finished removing everything even remotely fragile and boxing it up.

"Okay. Now let's take her out," Gold said, and went in the back and opened the carrier.

The kitten was sitting inside, but shortly after the carrier was opened, Nala crept out, slipping from the carrier and into the main room of the shop, moving like a slinking shadow about the place, sniffing at all the nooks and crannies.

"Shoot! Maybe I ought to have shown her where her litter box is first," Gold sighed. "Kitten, you'd better not pee anywhere over here, otherwise Neal's going to take you home for Henry."

"Papa, relax. Cats usually don't do that, that's puppies," his son soothed.

"And if she's already litter trained, she won't go anywhere else," Archie seconded. He had been told in strictest confidence by Belle that Neal Cassidy was really Baelfire Gold, Mr. Gold's son, who had run away as a teenager, gotten in trouble with a gang, been adopted by the Cassidys, and then was reunited with his father, Emma, and Henry this spring.

The three men watched as the kitten trotted all over, investigating every corner, crawling beneath all the shelves and even jumping up on a few of them.

Gold scuffed his cane against the floor impatiently.

Nala pricked her ears and trotted over to investigate, batting at his pant leg.

"Hey! Hunt the salamander, not me," Gold ordered.

Nala suddenly sprang up on his shoulder and nuzzled his neck.

Gold froze.

"Aww! She really likes you, Gold," Archie grinned.

"Yeah, she sure does," Bae agreed, then added, "I think she wants you to pet her, Papa."

Gold grimaced. "I'll pet her after she does what I brought her here to do. Catch me that salamander."

Nala nuzzled him relentlessly, pushing her little head against his cheek, and purring like a washing machine gone berserk.

"I don't think she'll leave you alone unless you give her some love, Gold," Archie predicted.

Gold gritted his teeth. "You're an impossible animal," he scowled and brought his hand up and patted her gently. "There! Now go and hunt!"

To his shock, the cat rubbed against his hand and made an odd sound. "Mmrrt!"

Heaving a sigh, Gold stroked her again, marveling in spite of himself at how soft her fur was. Abruptly he recalled he had an audience and coughed slightly. "Okay, Nala. Hunt! Go get that blasted lizard. Or else no cat treats."

Nala rubbed his cheek once more, purring happily.

"How about no dinner?" Gold threatened.

The kitten remained on his shoulder.

"Maybe she wants to make a deal with you, Papa," Bae suggested, his eyes twinkling.

"Oh, real funny, Neal," Gold said sarcastically. When the kitten still didn't move, the pawnbroker reluctantly muttered, "Fine! I'll make a deal with you, cat. If you catch the salamander in my shop, I'll buy you a salmon dinner and let you sit on my lap."

Nala looked at him, her whiskers twitching. She made another odd sound. "Prrrtt!"

Then she sprang down from Gold's shoulder and sauntered across the floor, her tail up.

"Looks like the deal's struck, eh?" Bae chortled.

"You're a riot," Gold rolled his eyes at his son.

The three men watched, as avidly as spectators at a football game, as the small midnight colored kitten stalked to the middle of the floor and hunkered down like a furry sentinel. Her tail twitched once and was still, and she lowered her head and froze into stillness, an ebony bas relief upon the biscuit-colored tile. Her green eyes seemed to grow even larger in her pointed face as she listened and waited for her quarry to show itself.

Minutes ticked by and still the cat did not move, just sat there, watching and waiting with infinite patience.

No one else moved either.

Suddenly, the kitten's ear flicked towards the right side of the shop, where the wicker baskets with the merino blankets were situated, right beneath the shelf with the two creepy looking dolls sitting on it.

Nala's eyes orientated on the spot and she slowly rose into a crouch, her tail curling slightly over her back, rump elevated as she prepared to spring.

A tiny green head poked out of the baskets.

The three men exhaled slightly, and the tension in the room built.

The anole crept out from behind the baskets and darted up the side of the wall, towards the shelf with the dolls.

Gold's gaze darted to the kitten, who seemed to have become a statue.

Until she exploded into a midnight flash and streaked across the floor to bat the crawling lizard down from the wall.

"Yeah, baby!" Bae cheered. "Get that darn lizard!"

And the chase was on.

Nala chased the salamander all over the shop, leaping over the rest of the objects on the floor, jumping onto the shelves as the salamander scurried along them, searching desperately for a hiding place.

But the kitten stayed right on its tail, and the frantic lizard was forced into racing along the counter.

Nala suddenly ran and jumped in one graceful leap from one end of the glass counter to the other, batting at the startled anole with her paw.

The lizard skidded to a halt and doubled back on its own trail, surprised by the sudden maneuver.

"Go, Nala, go!" Archie cried. "This is better than watching Animal Planet."

"You actually watch that?" Gold commented.

"Yeah. Especially Cesar Milan. It's very educational," the psychiatrist said. "Get 'em, Nala!"

Nala galloped after the running amphibian, batting it with her paws, claws unsheathed, green eyes alight with the joy of the hunt.

All three men were half-crouched at one end of the counter, cheering on the pursuing feline.

"Atta girl, Nala! Who wants a salmon dinner, pretty kitty?" Gold blurted, not even realizing what he was saying.

Bae smirked and chuckled, "Eat 'em up, baby girl!"

"C'mon, you got him, kitty!" Archie hooted.

Nala flicked her ears back at their encouraging babble, then gathered herself as the anole ran down the side of the cabinet and made a mad dash for the baskets against the wall.

"Now, kitten!" Gold encouraged. "Get the slimy little scumsucker!"

Nala leaped, soaring across the shop as if she was some magical beast . . . to land right in the center of the baskets.

The salamander backpeddled frantically when it saw the cat before it.

Too late.

Nala pounced, and caught the offending lizard in her jaws, shaking her head once, sharply.

The salamander went limp and the kitten trotted proudly over to Gold and deposited it at his feet.

Then she sat down, her tail curled neatly about her paws, and looked up at him regally, as if to say, _well, I've kept my end of the deal. How about you?_

Gold stared down at the cat he supposedly disliked. Then he knelt carefully on one knee and stroked the little feline's head. "Good girl, Nala! There's my good girl!" Then he dug in his pocket and pulled out a handful of cat treats. "Here you go. Have some tuna snacks."

As the kitten crunched the treats out of his hand, Archie and Bae applauded gently.

"Wow! That was better than Monday night football," said Bae. Then he knelt to pet Nala as well. "See? And you said you didn't like cats, Papa."

"I don't," Gold said automatically. Then he stroked the little cat again and amended, "Well, maybe just a little bit."

The kitten finished her treats and nudged Gold's hand, meowing.

"I think she's hungry," Gold said. "And I owe her some salmon. Neal, run over to the grocery store for me and get some, will you?"

"How much?"

"A pound is good, we can eat the rest for dinner tonight. I'll put it in my mini fridge in the back till I go home," his father said, and handed him some money.

"Be right back," his son said, then opened the door to leave, the CLOSED sign jingling as he did so.

Suddenly, a black and white head squeezed its way past his legs and Pongo entered the shop, his tail wagging as he caught sight of Archie.

"Pongo, no, boy!" Archie began and went to grab the dog by the collar before he saw the kitten at Gold's feet.

But the Dalmatian had already spied the furry newcomer and whuffed gently and walked towards Nala, sniffing at the strange black kitten curiously.

**A/N: Okay, if you've ever seen a cat hunt, it really IS better than watching Monday night football, at least in my opinion. Who can guess what will happen between Pongo and Nala?**


	4. Frenemies

**4**

**Frenemies**

"Hopper, my cat!" Gold hissed, trying to block Pongo's view of Nala, but it was too late.

Pongo came and lowered his big head, snuffling the tiny cat.

To Gold and Archie's shock, Nala did not attempt to bolt away from the dog, or arch her back and spit at him. Instead the two touched noses and then Nala reared up and batted Pongo's ears.

Pongo's tail went back and forth like a metronome, and he panted happily as the kitten wound in and around his paws, purring.

"Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle!" Archie exclaimed. "How about that? Looks like you've made a new friend, Pongo."

The Dalmatian whimpered and lay down, his tail wagging hard against the floor, and Nala cozied right up to him and rubbed her whole body across his face, twining her tail about Pongo's snout, totally without fear.

"That's . . . amazing!" Gold whispered, watching the cat and dog interact. "They're supposed to be enemies."

"Maybe she can sense he means no harm to her," Archie said, smiling. Then he chuckled. "Will you look at that?"

Nala had jumped up on Pongo's back and now sat there, like some kind of trick rider in a circus, her tail wrapped about her paws, her emerald eyes slitted, looking as serene as a statue of Bast in an Egyptian temple. _I am Cat. Hear me roar._

Gold found himself smiling in spite of himself at the proud little feline. "She's like . . . the queen of all she surveys."

"And Pongo's her horse," Archie laughed. "Ah, well, that's a cat for you. They always have to be on top."

"Isn't that the truth," Gold admitted, chuckling slightly. Then he recalled the dead salamander by his foot, and limped into the back of the shop to get a dustpan and a broom and clean it up.

As he was bringing the dead amphibian into the back to dispose of it, the shop bell tinkled warningly and the mayor of Storybrooke entered, giving Archie a cold glance and then staring down at the dog and the cat upon the floor.

"What is this, Hopper? Some kind of stupid animal therapy? Why is your mutt in here? And this mangy alley cat?" she sneered. "Where's Gold?"

"Regina," Gold declared frostily. "To what do I owe this visit? Come to sell off mommy's magic mirror?"

"Gold. I thought this was a no pets zone," Regina stated coldly. "This is supposed to be a pawnshop, not PetCo." Her black heels stopped short of Pongo's paws.

The dog gave a low whine and cringed away from Regina slightly.

Nala suddenly laid back her ears and gave a full-throated hiss of rage, her green eyes blazing, her fur fluffed out like she'd been electrocuted, arching her back in the classic scary Halloween cat pose.

Regina laughed. "Is that supposed to frighten me, you little hairball? Why don't you go get lost?"

Nala growled deep in her chest, and Pongo barked sharply.

"Go away, before you meet with an accident, you hairy beasts!" Regina ordered, waving her hands at the pair.

Nala hissed again, then fled, racing right up Gold's suit and onto his shoulder, where she crouched, her eyes wild, and tail lashing agitatedly.

Gold reached up and petted her automatically. "Don't you have better things to do than frighten my cat, Regina? What do you want?"

Regina's pretty mouth curled into a sharp frown. "Is that any way to greet a potential customer, Gold?" She leveled a finger at him. "I could have you closed down for unsanitary practices, you know."

Gold ignored her threat. "What do you want, Regina?"

"A moment of your time, pawnbroker." She turned to Archie. "We're doing business here, Hopper. Go talk to your doggie, Dr. Dolittle, and give us some privacy."

"Of course, Mayor Mills," Archie said quickly, and snapped his fingers at Pongo. "Come on, Pongo. Let's go, boy."

The Dalmatian went with him, giving a backward glance at Gold as he followed Archie from the shop, leaving Regina alone with the shopkeeper.

Gold arched an eyebrow in query. "Well?"

"I want this appraised," Regina said shortly, and pulled out a gold necklace with an emerald on it. She laid it down on the counter.

"Do I look like a jeweler?" Gold asked sarcastically.

"You know the price of gold," Regina said shortly. "Now tell me what it's worth."

"One moment." Gold bent down to retrieve a jeweler's loupe from a drawer beneath the cabinet, and Nala stepped off his shoulder and sat on the counter as he did so.

"Watch it, cat. Before I send you on a one way trip to the meat factory," Regina said, eyeing the little feline with distaste.

Gold stood, loupe in hand, and moved to block Regina's view of Nala. "Leave the cat alone, Regina. Or do you get off terrorizing helpless animals the way you do kids?"

Regina stiffened. "What are you implying, you creepy shyster? What tales has Henry been telling you? He's been brainwashed!"

"Guilty conscience, dearie?" Gold taunted, picking up the necklace and examining it with the loupe.

"Just do your job, Gold! How much is it worth?"

"Quite a bit, dearie. But not monetarily," Gold said, laying the necklace down on the counter. "The emerald is flawed. But then, you already knew that. Why are you trying to pawn Snow White's necklace?"

Regina flinched slightly. "That's not her necklace. It belonged to my mother."

"And where'd _she_ get it, dearie? Ever ask yourself that?" Gold hissed, his eyes hard.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying your mommy conned a ten-year-old girl out of a necklace her papa gave her. But instead of asking how, you ought to be asking why," Gold said icily.

"So what? What do I care? All I want to know is . . . how much will you give me for it?"

"Nothing, dearie. I don't deal in stolen goods."

"_What?_ You can't be serious!"

"Oh, I am. I have a reputation to uphold," Gold answered.

"You make deals with everyone, Gold!" cried Regina, incensed.

"Not with thieves, dearie. Professional policy."

"You're going to regret this, pawnbroker!" Regina growled, and swept the necklace back into her purse.

"I doubt that, Regina. But go ahead and think that if you like," Gold said, and gave her a mocking bow.

Regina slammed the door of the shop so hard the sign fell down.

Nala spat and ran to hide behind Gold.

Gold knelt and made soft noises to the frightened cat. "Come now, dearie. It's okay. The Evil Queen's gone. Don't be scared. The nasty lady's run away." He clucked softly to the kitten crouched under the cabinet. "Come on, baby. Come to Papa, I'll protect you."

Slowly, Nala crept out from under the cabinet and he picked her up in his arms.

He stroked the velvet fur and murmured endearments into one pricked ear, as he used to do when Alina was a baby and wouldn't stop crying.

Gradually, the little cat calmed and the fur along her back relaxed and she ceased shivering.

He was so engrossed in soothing Nala that he didn't even hear Bae return with the package of salmon until his son said, "Are you _sure_ you don't like that cat, Papa? Because it looked like you were sweet talking her awfully good."

Gold jerked his head up so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash. "Uh . . . oh, Bae. You're back. Did you get the salmon?"

"Right here," Bae handed him the wrapped package of fish.

"Good. Hold Nala while I go and cut this," he said, handing Bae the kitten. "And be gentle, Bae. Regina scared her."

Bae took the kitten and cuddled her. "You poor thing! I'm not surprised. She'd scare the hair off a grizzly."

Gold hurried into the back room to get a knife, he kept a set of cutlery in there in case he needed it for lunch. After he'd diced up the salmon for Nala and put it in the two-sided dish Belle had given him, and then poured some cat milk into the other side, he carried it back out to where Bae was holding Nala.

"Oh, look at that, baby," Bae crooned, setting the kitten down on the counter. "See, Papa doesn't break deals with you, huh?"

Gold winced. "I'm sorry," he said, and set the dish on the counter.

Nala began eating hungrily.

"Me too," Bae said. "I shouldn't have brought it up. It's done and over with."

"But you'll never forget it. Any more than I will," his father said regretfully.

"Don't," Bae said, and put a hand over his father's. "Sometimes my mouth runs away with me. It's like a disease." He shook his head. "What did the Evil Queen want?"

"To sell me something that didn't belong to her. I told her to take her business elsewhere," Gold replied.

Bae smirked. "Bet she loved that!" He scratched Nala around the ears. "I missed all the good stuff, huh, sweet thing?"

Nala continued devouring the salmon, then began to drink the milk on the other side, her tiny tongue lapping it up like a pink ribbon.

"You want me to help put all this stuff back where it belongs?" his son asked then.

"If you wouldn't mind, yes."

"I don't. Where's Archie?"

"She ordered him away," Gold explained. He gave the kitten a rub before he turned to unpack a crate behind the counter.

**Page~*~*~*~*~Break**

Father and son had just finished putting everything back in its place and Gold had taken the empty dish from Nala and brought it in the back to rinse it in the sink and put it back in the blue bag when the shop door rang and he heard a boy's shrill voice cry, "Look, Mom! A black cat! Black cats are evil. I wonder if it has rabies."

"Ethan, leave that animal alone, it could bite you," the mother ordered.

"Aww, Mom! I just wanna pet it. C'mere, kitty! You look like the cat from _Halloween!_"

Then he heard Nala let out a sharp meow and Bae say sharply, "Hey, kid! Don't pull her tail! What's wrong with you?"

"Oww! Mom, that evil cat scratched me!" the little boy whined.

"Ethan, I told you not to touch it!"

Gold came out to find a little blond boy holding his hand and whimpering, Nala hiding behind the counter again, and a harried woman in her mid-thirties standing next to her son. Bae was leaning on the corner of the counter, giving the kid a frown.

"What's going on here? Can I help you, Mrs. Bloomberg?"

"Mr. Gold, I . . . I've come to . . . give you this against the rent I owe," Mrs. Bloomberg began, removing a box from her purse.

"Mom! That nasty cat scratched me!" whined her son, showing her his hand, which had a narrow pink line on it. "Look, I'm bleeding!" He gave Gold a mean look. "Your cat's a wicked animal!"

"Ethan! Mr. Gold, I'm so sorry!" his mother looked like she wanted to die.

Gold gave the little brat a sharp Look. "That's what happens to little boys who pull cat's tails."

Ethan gasped and shrank away. "How'd you know?" he whimpered.

"I know everything that goes on in my shop, boy," Gold said, his voice soft but menacing. "Next time keep your hands to yourself."

The boy went to hide behind his mother.

Gold ignored him, and opened the box Mrs. Bloomberg had given him, revealing a pair of antique gold and ruby earrings. "This is sufficient to pay the rest of what you owe," he told the woman.

"Thank you, Mr. Gold," she said, then she turned to her son. "Come on, Ethan, before you get in more trouble. You know better than to hurt an animal that way!"

"Mom, I didn't do nothing'! That cat's just mean. It's evil, like a witch's familiar!" her son whined, and then he shoved open the door of the shop. "Let's get outta here, Mom!"

"Hey, close the door before you let the cat out!" Bae snapped.

"Hurry up, Mom!" Ethan shrilled, still holding the door open. "You're so slow!"

As Mrs. Bloomberg hurried towards the door, the wind gusted suddenly and caused an old leather ball with a star on it to fall off a shelf and land on the floor with a thump.

The loud noise startled the already nervous Nala, who darted out from behind the counter and crouched just before the doorway.

"Ahh! The evil cat's after me!" screeched Ethan.

"Close the door, kid!" Bae cried. "No, Nala, c'mere!"

Petrified by all the shouting and noise, Nala bolted, running right out the door.

"Oops! Run, evil kitty!" snickered Ethan.

Bae wanted to strangle the little brat. "Move it, kid!" he ran out the door, trying to see which way Nala ran.

But he was too late. There was no sign of the little cat anywhere.


	5. Kitty Cornered

**5**

**Kitty Cornered**

**A/N: Okay, dearies, I'm putting a Kleenex alert for this chapter, for the end, but PLEASE PLEASE READ the entire thing before reviewing, as there's a surprise at the end.**

"Stupid kid!" Bae muttered angrily as he looked up and down the street.

But Nala was gone. His heart sinking, Baelfire started walking along the sidewalk, hoping to catch a glimpse of the little cat somewhere nearby.

Mr. Gold grabbed his keys and limped out of the shop, locking the door as he did so. Mrs. Bloomberg was wringing her hands agitatedly. "Mr. Gold, I'm so sorry. Now look what you did, Ethan! Mr. Gold—"

"No time to chat, dearie," Gold said sharply. "I have a cat to find." He shoved past her rather rudely, longing to take her son and shake him hard for letting his cat run away. He limped up to where Bae was standing on the sidewalk. "Did you see her yet?"

"No. No sign of her. But I'll keep looking. How far could she have gone in two minutes?" his son said agitatedly. "Look, I'll go down here and you go the opposite way and see if you can spot her, okay? We'll meet back here in . . . an hour."

Gold just nodded. He knew without having to hear it that if they couldn't find the kitten in an hour, she was lost and might never come home. He started down the street, towards the town hall, looking in all the doorways of the businesses and occasionally making soft smooching noises and calling Nala's name.

But his heart was heavy within him. Alina would never forgive him if something happened to her pet. Hell, _he_ wouldn't forgive himself, especially because the cat had run away on his watch. Of course, he couldn't have predicted that Bloomberg kid would leave the shop door open, or that Nala would become startled and run, but still . . . he'd promised to look after the kitten and now she was gone.

He felt his stomach clench in fear as he considered all the things out here in Storybrooke that could hurt a cat. Like cars, people, animals. And the kitten was so small and helpless . . . well, she could run like a black streak of lightning, and he claws were ultra sharp, so maybe not so helpless . . .but it was still dangerous out here.

He thought of how, had it only been a few days ago, he had wished the kitten gone and now that she was missing, he felt nothing but anxiety, regret, and fear. _I said I don't like cats. But, may God listen, I like this one. She's **my** cat, and I just want to find her and bring her home._

He limped along, cursing his slow progress. He passed several people, and paused to ask if they'd seen a little black kitten run by. They looked at him as if he were off his rocker and shook their heads. He continued on past Granny's diner, though he looked carefully around there, figuring the kitten might have been drawn to the smell of food.

_No, she's already eaten, remember? Just before that little brat came in and pulled her tail, she'd finished the salmon and milk._ "Nala! Here, kitty!" he called, fearing he sounded like the world's biggest idiot. But he didn't care.

All that mattered was finding the kitten.

It was starting to get busy now, as people were driving back to work, their lunch breaks over, and the amount of cars on the street concerned Gold greatly. He prayed Nala would stay away from the road.

He came up on the town hall, and saw Regina's Mercedes parked in her usual spot, the one reserved for the mayor. Pausing a moment beside a large oak tree, he heard a loud snarling and barking coming from the back of the building.

Then he heard a soft hiss, and more growling.

"What on earth?" he muttered to himself, and limped about the side of the town hall.

There, by some large trash bins, crouched his missing kitten, her fur on end, being attacked by a rather large mongrel of undetermined heritage.

The dog was about forty pounds, the color of mud, with short bristly fur and a face that had a rather short snout, corkscrewed ears, and tiny yellow eyes. It was one of the ugliest dogs Gold had ever seen, even counting those in the fairy tale realm. And it was snarling at his cat.

It was at times like these that Gold wished he had his magic back. He could have sent this wretched beast howling with a flick of his finger then. But since he didn't, he would have to make do with what he did have. Because otherwise, his cat was about to become some mongrel's lunch.

He stopped and picked up a rock near his cane.

Then he took careful aim, he wasn't a champion horseshoe thrower for nothing, and flung the missile right at the dog's head.

It hit the snarling animal smack in the head, causing it to yelp in shock and then whirl around to face him.

"Get, you mangy disgusting beast!" Gold shouted, waving his cane threateningly.

The dog growled, crouching, streams of drool falling from its open jaws.

"Go, before I smash your ugly face in!" the pawnbroker ordered, moving two steps forward and lifting his cane again. Usually with beasts like this, a show of force was all one needed. The rational part of his mind was shrieking _have you lost your mind? That brute could rip you apart, you need to call Animal Control, not take it on, you idiot! But by the time Animal Control gets here, your cat could be that monster's dinner!_ argued the other part of his brain. _Besides, nobody hurts my cat!_

The dog continued to hold its ground, too stupid perhaps to recognize Gold as a threat.

Suddenly Nala darted in front of it, trying to escape.

The dog, seeing its prey running, lunged after the kitten.

Gold brought his cane down hard on the mangy animal's shoulders and back. "Get, you wretched mongrel! Leave my cat alone! Leave . . . her . . . _alone_!"

A sudden fury possessed him, born of all the times he'd been a victim of those bigger and stronger than he was, all the times he'd seen bullies pick on those smaller and weaker, and he whacked the vicious brute with his cane several more times, ignoring the fact that the dog could have bitten his hand off.

Yelping in terror, the dog cringed under the onslaught and then bolted, its tail between its legs, running away down the street.

"Ha! Guess I showed that mangy thing, right, Nala?" Gold panted, lowering his cane and looking around for his kitten.

He expected her to be on the steps of the town hall or up the big oak tree.

Instead, to his horror, he saw her crouched beneath the rear wheels of Regina's Mercedes . . . and Regina was inside and had started the car.

Gold felt his heart, thundering in his chest, freeze, and he yelled, "Regina! Don't back up! Regina, wait!"

The mayor of Storybrooke glanced up and saw him. She gave him a hard uncompromising stare, her eyes cold as a witch's heart.

"Regina! Stop!" he cried, starting forward, one hand held out. He felt as if time had suddenly slowed to a crawl.

She turned away, her eyes glittering, and pulled out of the parking spot.

Nala had been preparing to run even as the car roared to life, and had just gotten to her feet when the Mercedes backed out.

Time resumed its course with a vengeance.

The rear tire struck her and she went flying . . . to land motionless in a heap near the curb.

"_No_! Oh no! No!" Gold whimpered, staring at the limp black body. "Regina! What have you _done?_!" he screamed, his voice gone hoarse with dread. He fell on his knees beside the still form of the lively black kitten, his hands reaching out uselessly to pick her up. "Nala! This can't be happening!"

The Mercedes halted and Regina stepped out. "Gold, what the hell is wrong with you?" she demanded coldly.

The pawnbroker looked up at her, grief etched all over his face. "You just . . . ran over my kitten!"

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Really? Oh, that's too bad. What was it doing in the road? Is it dead?"

"You stupid . . . I _told_ you to stop, why didn't you listen?" Gold cried, stroking the limp form, a lump in his throat, as grief slowly began replacing the anger he felt.

"I was in a hurry," the mayor replied. "I thought you just wanted talk."

Suddenly Bae jogged up, followed by some other curious people. "Hey! What happened?" he called upon seeing his father kneeling in the gutter, unmindful of the dirt getting all over his six-hundred dollar Armani suit. "What—oh God, no!" He put a hand comfortingly on his father's shoulder.

"Regina . . . she ran over . . . Nala . . . I told her to stop . . ." Gold whispered, tears stinging his eyes. He felt as if his heart were going to break in pieces.

"These things happen, Gold, when you let your animals play in the street," Regina said icily.

Gold bowed his head, thinking belatedly of how he had told Nala to go play in the street yesterday morning. _But I didn't mean it. I didn't. Not really._ Tears fell down his cheeks and onto her fur. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart . . ." he murmured brokenly. He didn't know how he was going to face his daughter and tell her the cat had been run over. He stroked the sleek fur over and over and found himself babbling, "But I kept my promise . . . see . . . I'm holding you . . ." as he held the cat on his lap. Just moments before she had been vibrantly alive, running like a black flame about his shop, not this still limp thing . . . and he realized, too late, that he loved her. "It's okay, baby . . . I've got you . . ."

Bae glared at the mayor. "That's all you've got to say, lady? You just killed his cat and you don't even have the decency to apologize?"

"I _said_ I was sorry, Cassidy."

"Don't you care?" Bae demanded sharply, his own chest aching. "You cold-hearted witch!"

Regina sniffed. "It's just an animal. Happens all the time. You should have kept it locked up." Her eyes swept over them disdainfully. "But . . . now you know how it feels to lose something and never get it back, don't you?"

Then she turned and got back in her car and pulled away from the street, a smug smile curling her lip as she glanced in the rearview mirror at the her broken enemy huddled on his knees cradling a dead kitten in his arms. _That's what happens when you cross me, Rumplestiltskin._

"God, I'm so sorry—" Bae murmured sadly. Alina was going to be devastated and so was Henry. "It's almost like the witch did it on purpose. I'd bet everything I own that she did." He felt like running her over with his Harley. Several times.

Gold barely heard his son, all his attention was focused on the tiny animal in his hands. She was still warm, he thought, and he could feel her tiny heart pulsing in her chest, he thought inanely.

Then his breath caught.

He could feel her heart beating.

"I think you need to call Belle, tell her what happened. We can have a funeral . . ." Bae squeezed his shoulder.

"A funeral . . . no . . . we don't . . ."

"Yeah, we do . . . she's dead."

"No. She's alive. I can feel her heart beating and she's breathing. We need to get her to the vet's, Neal. Immediately."

"She's not . . . dead yet?"

"No. Now help me up. We can save her . . . if we hurry. I hope."

**A/N: Okay, now who liked Gold beating up the dog with his cane? And who else cried when they read the part where Gold holds Nala after the accident-me, I was crying while I wrote it because it reminded me of when one of my cats died. Who can't wait for the next chapter?**


	6. Nine Lives

**6**

**Nine Lives**

They rushed Nala to Dr. Doolittle, Storybrooke's vet, which happened to be just across the street, and as it was an emergency, she was seen immediately. The vet told them she was in shock, had some cracked ribs, but her vitals were good and she was lucky to be alive.

"How's that possible?" Bae asked in awe. "I mean, my . . . uh . . . Mr. Gold saw the car hit her."

"It could have just glanced off her. But cats . . . well . . . they're amazingly resilient . . . give them one chance out of ten and they usually make it," the vet said. "I've seen it before . . . you know the old saying, cats have nine lives? Well, this one proves it."

"How soon can she come home, doctor?" asked Gold shakily, still reeling from the fact that the cat he thought died in his arms was still among the living. It was truly a miracle.

"Uh . . . I'd like to keep her overnight for observation, give her some antibiotics and fluids with an IV, just in case . . . but I really think she's going to be fine, Mr. Gold. I'll call you in the morning when she's ready to come home," Dr. Doolittle smiled. "Cats really are amazing creatures . . ."

"Yes. They really are," Gold agreed, and he gave the vet a smile. "I think I need to call my wife and tell her that everything's going to be okay now."

Doolittle nodded. "You know, Gold, since I can speak to Nala directly, I need to tell you something. She told me how you rescued her from that vicious dog that nearly killed her before Regina ran her over. Said it was the bravest thing she'd ever seen, you standing up to that nasty brute. She considers you a hero."

Gold blushed in embarrassment. "She does? Umm . . . well, I had to do something . . . I mean, I couldn't let that mangy thing hurt her . . . so I just . . . drove it off with my cane . . . and I was so angry I didn't really think too much about what it could have done to me, just about saving her . . ."

"And that, my good man, is true courage," Doolittle said. "I'm happy I could save her. She's a most lovely animal, and she says she loves you very much, as well as the rest of her human family."

"And I . . . I love her too," Gold said, coloring further at that admission.

"I'll be sure to tell her you said so. It always helps the recovery process if those who are sick know they are loved and wanted at home," the vet said.

Then Gold added, "But you're not to mention I said that to anyone."

"Of course not. Patient confidentiality, you know. It exists between me and my animal patients and their human companions, so have no fear," Doolittle laughed.

Bae stared at the portly man in the white lab coat. "Hold it. You . . . really can talk to animals? And you . . know it?"

Doolittle nodded. "I do. Just as I know about the curse over this town . . . and who you all are."

"How do you know that?"

"We have a mutual acquaintance, Jefferson. He brought me here, but it was my idea, I figured I might do some good as vet here, since Regina has no care for animals, and I . . . I've been here before, long ago. Different method of travel though. Jeff and I have been friends for years and he keeps me posted on what's new here since Emma came. So I know that you're Gold's son, Baelfire, and that he's regained his memories. That doesn't surprise me, since he's the most powerful sorcerer in the realms, or was once. And well . . . truth like love, is always difficult to keep locked away. Someone always finds out." Doolittle's eyes twinkled. "Surely you didn't think I told all my patients I could talk to animals, did you?"

"Uh, no . . . but they've got a book on you here. I've read it," Bae told him.

"Wonderful! I wrote that," Doolittle smiled. "Under a pseudonym, of course. I published it as a children's story, because children believe in things better than adults, who doubt everything and have forgotten how to look with their heart and not with their eyes."

"Please excuse me, I need to call my wife, " Gold said, and walked over to the other side of the office.

As he dialed Belle on his cell, Doolittle turned to Bae and said, "Y'know, I never would have figured Gold for a cat person."

"I don't think he would have either. But Henry bought that cat as gift for Alina and well . . . I guess she kind of chose him," Bae told him.

Doolittle chuckled. "That's the funny thing about cats, they can take you or leave you, but once they decide they like you . . . they own _you_, not the other way around. You know how they say dogs are man's best friend? Well, man's a cat's best friend . . . if the cat chooses to be one. Nice talking with you, but I must get back to my patients."

Bae wondered if his father would agree with that philosophy. As he eyed the older man, now looking much more relieved and happy as he talked to Belle, he thought how ironic that the former Dark One's heart had been captured by a tiny black kitten. Cats really were magical animals, he smirked.

**Page~*~*~*~*~Break**

Gold was at the vet's bright and early the next morning to pick up Nala. He listened carefully to the instructions the vet tech gave him on Nala's care and made a follow up appointment in two weeks than he placed a rather groggy kitten in his car and drove home.

Belle and Alina were there to meet him as he got out of the car.

"Where do you want to put her, Papa?" asked his daughter, carrying the carrier. "Mama and I set up her cat bed and toys in the den near the fireplace."

"No. Not there. I want her to be where I can keep an eye on her," Gold disagreed. "Bring her upstairs, Alina."

As they walked down the hallway past the green guest room, they heard Rhea call, "So how's the patient, Rumple?"

"On the road to recovery, thank God," he called back.

"Good. But I already knew that," the Seer laughed.

"Then why'd you ask me?" he called back.

"To confirm it," she replied.

Gold rolled his eyes. "Smartass sisters. Put Nala in my room," he told Alina.

Alina's eyebrows rose. "In your room? But . . . I thought she wasn't allowed in there."

"I changed my mind," her father answered.

So Alina opened the door of the carrier and Nala walked out, still a little woozy from the pain meds they'd given her. "Poor baby," Alina crooned, petting her. "Do you feel sick?"

"Probably. They shot you full of all those nasty drugs, didn't they?" Belle said sympathetically.

Nala blinked, then walked slowly over to Gold and meowed softly.

And Storybrooke's pawnbroker got down on one knee and picked up the little black kitten and crooned, "Okay, baby. Don't get excited. Your papa's here."

Mother and daughter watched in shock as Gold cradled the kitten to him and limped over to the bed and sat down, placing the kitten in his lap. "No broken deals for you, sweetheart." Then he stroked the kitten gently, moving his fingers lightly over the bandage wrapped about her torso, down her back to her tail.

Nala purred loudly, her green eyes at half mast. Then she curled up on his knee, tucked her nose into a paw, and fell asleep, safe and sound where she belonged, in the lap of her human.

"Thought you didn't like cats, Papa?" Alina queried.

"I didn't . . . but I changed my mind," her father answered, and ran his hand lightly across Nala's fur, happy beyond words that his fuzzy miracle was home to stay.

And when he happened to wake up the next morning to a black tail curled about his face and tiny paws patting his cheek, all he said was, "Okay, Nala, I'm up, give me a minute and I'll get you breakfast," to the sleek kitten curled up next to his head on the pillow, where all well-trained human pets let their cats sleep.

It wasn't long before word got out that if you wanted to see the most spoiled cat in Storybrooke, all you had to do was knock on the door of Gold's salmon-pink Victorian, which bore a sign on the entrance—_A Spoiled Rotten Cat and Her Pedigreed Human Family Live Here_.

**And so this furry tale has ended. I'd like to thank my sister's cats-Utley, Vladimir, James, Hobbes, and Khaleesi, for providing me with the inspiration to write this, extra treats and milk for all of you! And thanks as well to all my readers and reviewers!**


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